Torch swings his scimitar at the retreating figure, totally unwilling to let her escape.
Aerys feels the poison burn, but she feels her body fight back sending a shiver up her back, unfortunately the shiver pulls her attention from Ieana as she moves away. She snatches a shot at the snake woman, but she is already out of range.
As Iaena tries to escape she is caught by Gelik's tanglefoot bag and is glued to the floor. Hissing wildly she stretches out a bloodied hand and touches the lips of the statue, turning gaseous and rising through a hole in the ceiling.
She still triggers AoOs, though.
Wicked! I wanna turn into a gas, too!
Gelik's tanglefoot bag stops Iaena dead in her tracks, and Torch and Aerys cut her down as she starts casting another spell. Ralf's uncanny insight (coupled with Detect Magic makes you realize that touching the statue with a bloodied hand is capable of turning you gaseous.
Iaena is carrying a potion, a whole lot of scrolls, a magic ring and 18 pp.
The scrolls (all divine):
Also let's see how Torch and Aerys manage to shake the effects of the poison. You need two consecutive saves.
Gelik is able to identify the Ring as a Ring of Mind Shielding but the potion remains mysterious. The altar and statue also radiate magic, and a number of hairline cracks have appeared on the altar after Hrakar's channeling.
There is a wealth of information in the carvings in the alcoves: Azlanti or Aklo - for Iaena has transcribed most of it onto a bunch of used scrolls- :
Iaena also thinks that Saventh-Yhi might be the very place where her god Ydersius was beheaded long ago.
Knowledge (planes) 25:
Knowledge (history) 25:
Thanks to Hrakar's treatments, Torch suffers no ill effect from the poison, and nods his appreciation to the dwarf. Once the first aid is done, the half-elf turns his attention to the piled scrolls. Recognizing the Azlanti writing, he reads the contents aloud to the group. .Noting the damage done to the altar by Hrakar's channelling, he suggests the priest turn the rest of his energy against the demonic altar as well.
Seeing that Torch is out of the woods, Gelik hovers around Aerys, ready to dose her with the antitoxin if needed. He calls out what he thinks would be helpful advise to Ralf as he treats her, but considering that Ralf can't hear what he's saying, and Gelik is talking out of his arse anyway, his aid is questionable.
Once the effects of the poison have run their course, Gelik wanders over to where Torch is reading the Azlanti scrolls. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm a bit of a linguist myself. Well, an etymologist, actually, but there's no need to be pedantic about it. It's a handy skill for a Maestro. He frowns, squinting at the scrolls. Gibberish, though, isn't it? Say, Torch, are you just making up a load of nonsense about lost cities and bloody cults so that you sound smarter, or is that stuff for real?
Gelik's head begins to swim as it fills up with information, and he sits down. He speculates, So this island was full of serpentfolk at one time? Must have been a long time ago. And Iena was the last one left maybe? No, that doesn't make any sense; she came here on the ship with us. Oh, I give up.
Aerys feeling the flush of victory and the satisfaction of complete and utter revenge on the evil that left her on this god forsaken island. Her body relaxes from the tension of the fight and settles itself into fighting the poison. The burning in her blood recedes as did the waters before this evil temple.
"So how do we get out of here?" she asks as she sits with her back against the wall. Taking in the scene of their victory, trying to remember every nook and cranny. Perhaps I could write a poem of this victory she thinks to herself.
Ralf uses his Decipher cantrip to read the inscriptions and (redundantly) summarizes them for everyone's benefit.
He goes into a trance and notes: "Saventh-Yhi, eh? That's the fabled lost city of Garund! If we could find out where it is -- why that would be priceless! We could live like kings! I can't say I like the looks of that idol of Zura, the demon lord of cannibals and vampires, though..."
Another (obvious) idea slowly dawns on Ralf. "Say...you don't suppose that weird snake-woman could have disguised herself as one of the passengers on our ship, do you?"
Torch finds that he has nothing to say.
Hrakar decides that the altar needs to be destroyed, being an unholy abomination, but his hammer is unable to make a dent in it. Channeling positive energy puts some more cracks in it and takes care of your remaining wounds, but it's still intact.
"Anyone else got any ideas?" asks Torch as he surveys the results of Hrakar's efforts.
Gelik gives Ralf a wide smile and thumbs-up, congratulating him on his insightful deductions.
He is indifferent to the fate of an old cracked altar, walking past it to check out the statue. If we must be stuck on this island, fighting wave after wave of nasty, gnome-eating creatures, the least we can do is enjoy the unique experiences afforded by this bat-god thingy. I'm going to turn myself into a vapor and float around like a cloud for a while. I know I'd regret it if I didn't.
Once he's satisfied he's found what he's going to find, he sticks his hand in one of the blood troughs and touches the statue, giggling in excitement.
Aerys doesn't have that same loathing for evil altars, just those living creatures who are her enemies or threaten her life. Leaving Hrakar to worry about it, she offer to help but physical violence didn't seem to help before, so she shrugs and starts to clean her sword.
When Gelik mentions he wants to touch the evil looking statue and turn gaseous, Aerys shouts to him, "What no Gelik, I mean careful. If you are insistent on that, then see that hole up there..." she points to the ceiling above where Iaena fell. "See was making for that, it could be a way out of here? Check if you must play with the evil magic."
Gently floating upwards into the hole in the ceiling Gelik reforms in a small room above. This X-shaped room has a low ceiling and walls dense with ancient carvings and bas-reliefs of a bat-winged demonic woman, including a particularly large one on the northeast wall whose lips are smeared with dried blood. A number of supplies — food, discarded clothes, a few waterskins, and a well-used bedroll — lie in the center of the room.
Gelik peeks down through the hole. That was about the neatest thing ever! The demon-snake-lady was squatting up here with all the demon-bat-lady statues. Doesn't look like there's any way out, though. Snakes, bats...what's wrong with duckies and bunnies?
Although Torch is interested in and curious about Gelik's discovery, he is still focused on the altar. "Is there some way you might be able to sanctify the area and perhaps weaken the corruption in the process?" he asks the dwarf.
Gelik finds a hidden panel under the carving of Zura.
Hrakar answers:"Aye, lad, but I haven't got it prepared. I was toying with the idea of burning all my spells into positive energy, but this place might still hold some nasty surprises. Or you could take my hammer and see if you could put some more force behind the blow. And will someone tell that little rascal up there to stop playing with the foul magic of this place and get back here?
Torch takes Hrakar's hammer and makes a few experimental swings at the altar, trying to gauge whether he will have any more success than the dwarf did at damaging the unholy item.
"So what've you found of interest up there Gelik? You bring them over and drop what you found down, so I can catch. Otherwise we'll need a rope up there and climb up and down with the stuff. Once its down here we can have a good look at it, see if its useful." says Aerys helpfully. "Though you'd best hurry, Hrakar and Torch want to bust down the altar and things."
Ralf scratches his head as he looks up at the ceiling. "Since when could that little fella turn himself into a puff of smoke?"
Gelik smiles cheerily at Ralf and calls down, I'm a tiny genie! I'd teach you how to turn into a gas but I wager it would smell like that old person funk. You know what I mean?
He begins rooting around and haphazardly tosses food, waterskin and bedroll through the hole to watch it impact down below. Incoming!
He uncovers the hidden panel and claps his hands with glee. Ooh! He opens it up, grinning widely.
As Gelik opens the panel, some unknown magical energies envelop him.
Downstairs, Torch is making headway with the altar, which finally cracks. It turns out to be hollow and great quantities of blood wash down the channel to the east. Some sort of invisible pulse of energy ripples out of it. You all need to make a Fort 15 save or be staggered for 1 round as you sense a great weight being lifted off the region.
"Bleaargh!
As the altar break and the blood of ages spills, Aerys steals herself against the evil, which passes and a new lightness in the air is felt.
Torch, too close to the source of the energies, is hammered by them, and he seems stunned for a moment. When he can finally speak again, he murmurs, "What... was that?"
Gelik flops over onto his back, letting out an undignified Aack!
As Gelik touches the panel, he is struck down by an ancient and horribe curse, transforming into a batlike parody of himself with a fanged mouth
and twisted, bat-like ears, arms that look more like wings but function well neither as arm nor wing, twisted legs that end in malformed talons, and wracking pains as if by a constant gnawing hunger that nothing seems to sate. Worse, it reduces his Dexterity by 4 and his Charisma by 2.
He's still able to scoop up the treasure behind the panel: two scrolls, a playing card of some sort featuring a strange creature with the body of an eagle and the head of a deer, a candle and a block of incense, all these items magical.
"How's it going up there, little fella? We destroyed some heathen altar down here," Ralf calls up to Gelik.
Gelik lets out a squeeky shriek as the bad juju washes over him. Plus, he's staggered by the backlash of the altar breaking.
He finally sits up, shakes his head, and calls out, I'm all right! I feel a bit weak - I think I got blasted by something, but I'm alive!
He stands unsteadily, and reaches for the loot. When he sees the claw that now serves as his hand, he shrieks again. Eeeeeeeee!!
The entrance is still submerged but by turning gaseous you are all able to escape with the loot. Making your way back to the lighthouse is easy by comparison of all you have endured, only Gelik walking with drooping wings and complaining about being hungry all the time.
You are received as heroes and your friends have managed to restore the lighthouse. After getting some well-deserved rest, you find you have a visitor. The green-haired lady has come to thank you for lifting the curse on the island.
"I don't know what you did, but I could feel that the ancient evil presence on this island has been lifted. Maybe this island will go back to being the paradise it could be. You have freed a lot of tormented spirits, and I sensed that they were grateful to you, so I'd like to present you with a token of that."
She claps her hand and a diminutive man, about three feet tall, that looks like he's made of vegetable matter, wearing a coconut shell for a helmet and brandishing a sharpened stick appears and stands at attention before you.
"He's more eager than able, I'm afraid, but I guess he can guard your horses or something. You may name him after you pleasure and you can be sure of his loyalty. I assume of course that you will choose to leave our fair island, and I suspect that your kind will come to pick you up now that the lighthouse is working. But I would be saddened to think that you'd ever forget the Shiv and me."
When Ralf sees Gelik's new state, his eyes widen. "Ye cats! We better start looking for a way to turn you back to yourself again, little fella! Now if only we can flag down a ship now that the lighthouse is working..."
To the mysterious green lady, he says: "Who's this little green guy -- a friend of yours? Well, how-de-do." He holds out his hand politely.
Torch is stunned by Gelik's appearance, and agrees wholeheartedly with Ralf's plan to get him to Eleder - or anywhere, really, with a decent supply of magicians - as quickly as possible.
When the dryad reappears, Torch smiles hiw twisted, ruined smile and bows politely. "It is good to see you again, Aycenia," he says. He examines the plant-man curiously, trying to figure out what it might be. "He will... be able to leave the island with us?" he asks. "Does he... er, that is, do you speak?" he continues, directing his question at the plant-man specifically, realizing that, if the being is sentient and able to understand him, he was being rude.
The little man takes Ralf's hand and shakes it cordially, then tries to make a clumsy bow. Aycenia smiles: "He only speaks Sylvan, I'm afraid, but I think you'll get along. And yes, he'll be able to leave the island, but he's not very comfortable in cities, so if you're going to be staying underground or in a town for long, maybe you should let him go free.
Knowledge (nature) 12:
Unfortunately Aycenia is unable to lift the curse on Gelik. Not very long afterwards, however, a ship passes by and sends a longboat to pick you up. This is the Red Gull, run by the snaggletoothed but friendly Captain Aulek Tegerten, who is willing to take you to Eleder. There is much rejoicing among the other castaways.
Know nature:
Ralf reminds the rest of them: "You know, we better tell that bird fella who was living in the crab shell that it's safe to leave. Anyone want to come with me to tell him?"
Torch introduces the plant-man as a "leshy," and promises Aycenia that the party will see him taken care of. When Ralf brings up the tengu, though, Torch brightens. "Yes, of course!" he says. "I'll go with you, unless..." He turns to the dryad. "Madam, you can travel far swifter and more safely across this island than we. There is a birdman living in the discarded shell of a giant crab on the southern shore of the bay north of here. Could you go to him and tell him we are arranging for rescue, and he can join us at the lighthouse?"
"You're not leaving me any company, are you?" Aycenia pouts a little, then smiles. "But you are right. He is not happy here, because he does not belong here. I'll go talk to him. Best of luck in all your endeavours, and I do hope you can restore your little friend to what he was."
With that Aycenia disappears into the greenery.
Ralf stands around uncomfortably. "So...does that mean that she's going off to tell him?"
Torch nods.
Gelik lurks in the shadows. He doesn't want to be seen by the pretty green-haired lady.
Once she's gone, he turns to the little plant man and speaks in a high-pitched, reedy voice.
Regardless of how long it takes to be rescued, Gelik will lurk in a back room somewhere, gnawing on things. When the boat arrives, he wears a hooded robe to hide his hideous features. Sailors are a superstitious lot, and he doesn't want to be keelhauled, or whatever they do to cursed man-bats.
Initially Aerys laughs at Gelik when she sees him disfigured by the curse. Aerys tells him to stop fooling around and take off the silly disguise, it is a little later that she stops the laughter and is shocked to find Gelik really has been transformed. Even then she's not sure which might be the 'real' Gelik, wondering if he really has transformed into some evil beast. However she will do her best to protect the poor little fellow, although he is told in no uncertain terms its his own fault for mucking around with things he doesn't understand. She's not totally convinced, this isn't some part of touching the statue and becoming a gaseous creature, she is very concerned that her body will change too.
She stays in the background during the farewells and is more than happy to be going back to civilisation. She joins the sailors in games of chance, eating and even doing a bit to help with the work on the ship, if allowed. The fresh sea air seems to agree with her, she seems happy once more, her freedom from the island lifts a weight from her shoulders.